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.: November 2006 --> Hannaford's new food rating system steams the food industry

Hannaford's new food rating system steams the food industry

» Hannaford Grocery chain has developed a 3-star system that rates the healthiness of the food they sell, based on the overall profile of the food. Since Hannaford will mark down items for high sodium, trans fats, and low nutrients, even products that make strong health claims may receive low scores. As you might imagine, the food industry isn't particularly happy.

"[V-8] like drinking a vitamin with a lot of salt on it." Hannaford advisory board member Lisa A. Sutherland, assistant professor of pediatrics and a nutrition scientist at Dartmouth Medical School.
"I don’t know what their system is. What are they calling too much salt?" John Faulkner, director of brand communication at the Campbell Soup Company.
"The thing is, a lot of claims we see out there are puffery. But they don’t get to the point where we can call them fake or misleading." Joseph R. Baca, director of the office of compliance at the F.D.A.’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.


 [ 11.07.06 ]


3 Comments

The difference between drinking a V-8 and a vitamin covered with salt is that a V-8 satisfies my appetite. I don't have a problem with high blood pressure, so eating salt isn't a problem with me. In fact, I deliberately add salt to my diet in the form of Gatorade after a run. I feel much better (compared to drinking water) after I do.

Yes, of course. But then you are not trying to find food that is healthy in this particular instance.

You are not worried about your blood pressure and picking your way through a legion of products looking at the sodium levels.

At that point, I guess the system is a useful form of shorthand.

I think that this rating system is a good thing. I would like to see this available everywhere. It is always good to be informed.



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